Series 12, Episode 4 | 1 part | First broadcast: 19 January 2020 | Writers: Nina Métivier and Chris Chibnall | Director: Nida Manzoor
Cast
- Jodie Whittaker as the Thirteenth Doctor
- Bradley Walsh as Graham O’Brien
- Tosin Cole as Ryan Sinclair
- Mandip Gill as Yasmin Khan
- Goran Višnjić as Nikola Tesla
- Robert Glenister as Thomas Edison
Summary
In 1903 New York, the Doctor and her companions team up with real-life inventor Nikola Tesla, and his bitter rival Thomas Edison, to stop a race of scavenging alien creatures called the Skithra from stealing Tesla’s cutting-edge scientific research and technology to power their own decaying warship, forcing historical rivals and time travelers alike to set aside their differences to save Tesla’s legacy and the future of Earth’s electrical innovation.
Interesting Facts
- The episode dramatizes real historical tension between Nikola Tesla and Thomas Edison over alternating versus direct current electrical systems, framing it within the alien plot.
- Goran Višnjić’s sympathetic portrayal of the underappreciated Tesla was widely praised as a highlight of the episode.
- The Skithra alien queen and her insect-like scavenger crew were designed with an emphasis on their resource-stripping, technology-scavenging culture rather than outright conquest.
- This is one of several “celebrity historical” episodes in the Chibnall era, following a tradition established since the series’ 2005 revival.
- The episode touches on the historical neglect and financial ruin Tesla faced in his real life, giving the story an unusually melancholy undercurrent for a monster-of-the-week adventure.
No Responses